This story is from Stuff
Michelle Kennedy, founder of the Auckland Climate Festival, comes from a competitive yachting family and grew up “looking at Rangitoto Island and sailing the Hauraki Gulf”.
At sixteen, Kennedy and sailing partner Georgina were the top female sailors in their double-handed yachting class. Representing New Zealand at a youth world regatta in South Korea, the pair were shocked at the level of pollution in Busan’s industrial shipping harbour. Launching their 420 dinghy from the marina they could see debris all along the breakwater wall.
“There were soccer balls, needles, shoes ... random things like that,” says Kennedy. “You didn't really want to touch the water, because it just didn't feel good. When we were out racing we could see the pollution all around. I particularly remember huge coils of rope in the water that were constantly slowing us down. We had to keep lifting our centre board to release the ropes getting tangled around it.”
Kennedy knew she’d been exposed to something bad when, a few weeks later, her fingernails fell off.
“We’d gone straight on to France for the Open Worlds. While I was competing there my nails turned brown. My hands felt like they’d been burnt, and I couldn’t sleep at night. Over the course of the next few weeks all my nails fell off.”
The experience was a defining moment.
Twenty years on, there’s so much more pollution in our waters than there ever used to be. Kennedy says it’s now pretty hard to go a beach or out on a boat and not see any. But as the environmental challenges have grown, she’s become increasingly intent on fostering meaningful change.
Kennedy has lived around the world – in Sweden, Melbourne, New York and London. In 2020 her commitment to climate work led to the role as programme lead at London Climate Action Week.
In 2021, with the support of philanthropic trust the Whakatupu Aotearoa Foundation, Kennedy successfully launched the Auckland Climate Festival, doubling its size in 2022.
The 2023 iteration of the festival kicks off on Thursday August 31 at a dawn ceremony at Auckland Botanic Gardens, Manurewa and runs through September, ending with a party in the CBD.
Kennedy acknowledges the grief and loss in facing the climate crisis, but believes it is crucial to shift the focus of climate action from doom and gloom towards what can be embraced and regenerated. She says there are many different ways in which you can engage in climate action, and lots of beauty and abundance.
“One reason the festival was set up was to provide entry points for everyone, whether people’s interests are fashion or food, transport, films, arts and culture, going to your local park or trying waka ama. It’s not just about scientists or policymakers having a debate or a panel discussion, although we have some of those as well at the festival.”
Discovering nutritious, beautiful, sustainable food is a great entry point for many, says Kennedy. “Food is one of the biggest ways in which we can address climate change. It’s also enjoyable.”
A Zero Carbon Breakfast in Takutai Square, Britomart, talking mushrooms and yeasts with a mycologist, and a hands-on opportunity with Avondale’s Fair Food Hub are some of the food-related events.
Anxiety about the future is a huge issue for many, so Kennedy is happy the public health agency Te Whatu Ora are hosting a number of workshops both for their staff and the public. A major focus is on providing practical steps to help people work through climate anxiety for better mental health.
“The impacts of climate change are here, and they are going to keep coming,” says Kennedy.
“There's a lot we are already dealing with as a country, and more coming up in the very near future. Things like more extreme weather, pressure on our food security, and mass migration to New Zealand.
“We know it's coming, and it's in our best interests to lean into it, learn how we can prepare and respond – and to trust we can make the changes that we need to.”
The Auckland Climate Festival is from August 31 to September 29, and has a month-long programme of more than 150 events across Tāmaki Makaurau.
